A Matter of Time
by piefould
Summary: When Dan gets a new girlfriend, Phil finally realizes how he feels about him. When Phil decides he has to leave, will Dan's ignorance leave Phil in a deadly situation, will it be too late? Read and find out! Rated T for strong language.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my first fic EVER (dun dun dunnn)**

**Please forgive me if it's shit, but I have never done this before so if I am doing something wrong, please please please let me know! :)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 1

_Where was he?_ Phil thought to himself as he looked up at the clock in the lounge. The hour had just ticked over to 3 am and Dan still wasn't home. Phil decided he'd been playing Portal 2 for far too long so he decided to finally go to bed. He switched everything off in the house and as he walked down the hall he was about to stick his head through Dan's door to say goodnight, but then he realized he wasn't there. So Phil sulked off to his bedroom, got into his pyjamas, grabbed lion for comfort and then curled up into bed. He was laying on his side with his phone in his hand, waiting for a reply from the text that he had sent Dan earlier saying "When are you coming home man?".  
His eyelids started to droop and before he knew it he was fast asleep.

It was the loud whispering that woke him up at 5:30 am. Phil was still half asleep and for a second he thought that someone was trying to break in, then he came to his senses and realized that Dan was finally home. He got up from his bed and was about to burst out of his bedroom door when he heard a female voice. He was stood frozen in his tracks and a million thoughts raced through his head. Why did Dan bring a girl home? He's never done that before. I wonder who she is. I wonder if she's Dan's...girlfriend.  
Phil finally caught up with his thoughts and he wondered why he was questioning Dan so much. Was he jealous? No...maybe..definitely. I mean, they'd both had girlfriends before but for the last few years it had just been Phil and Dan, Dan and Phil. No-one else.  
Phil decided to go back to bed and seek comfort in his bedroom until this mystery woman had gone.

Before he knew it the sunlight was well and truly streaming through his window and he checked the time and it turned out to be 10:30. He plucked up the courage to go into the hallway and he thought, no turning back now. He slowly made his way into the kitchen and he saw a bunch of bags from Tesco sitting on the counter. It was then that he heard someone rummaging around in the cupboards under the bench and he panicked, he thought it was the mystery woman but when Dan popped his head, he was pleasantly surprised.  
"Oh..hey Dan." He said, trying to sound indifferent.  
"Morning Phil." Dan said, sounding rather hung over.  
Phil hesitated and didn't know whether to mention last night, or just try to be cool.  
He decided trying to be cool was the best (but not easiest) answer.  
Dan looked confused as he began to unpack the groceries, but decided to dismiss it. His head was pounding too much to comprehend emotions at the moment.

Phil quietly made a strong coffee and cereal, trying to concentrate on anything but Dan. Phil walked to the lounge and as he sat down he spilt a bit of coffee on his pyjama pants.  
"Crap." He said aloud.  
"Nice one Phil." Dan said sarcastically, trying to force a smile out of his best friend.  
Phil just turned back to the coffee table and set down his meal, he got out his laptop, put in his headphones and tried to block out Dan.  
He thought that this just might block out his feelings for him too.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Over the next few weeks, Dan had been spending more and more time with this mystery girl, who, as Phil had unfortunately found out after a night of _very_ loud sex, was named Rosie.  
Dan and Phil had been talking to each other less and less after Rosie had been coming over nearly every day.  
Phil missed sitting up all night and palying video games or just finding funny things on the internet with his best friend. He also missed waking up on the counch next to Dan and watching him sleep after falling asleep at 4am watching films.  
He was in that exact spot on the couch watching in disgust and Dan and Rosie were in the kitchen, pressed up against the counter while kissing, whispering and giggling with each other. After about an hour of watching telly, pretending not to hear them Phil got up angrily and sulked to his room with his laptop under one arm.  
Dan heard Phil get up and turned around suddenly, pulling away from Rosie's kiss.  
"What is it?" Rosie said.  
"N-nothing." Dan said, smiling tightly, turning back to her.  
Dan knew that Phil was pissed off, but he was happy in a realtionship, he was happy with Rosie, having some girl company was a nice change after spending so many years with Phil, and PJ and Chris.

_I cannot believe what he's doing._ Phil thought to himself._ Dangling Rosie in front of me like that, when he can clearly s-_ oh.  
Phil came to a sudden realization. He doesn't know how I feel about him.  
Phil's had girlfriends his whole life, he never thought that he would actually be gay, but Dan came along and changed all that. It wasn't just lust, of course Phil wanted Dan in every position he could think possible but he also wanted Dan to love him, just as much as he loved Dan. In fact, Phil didn't just love Dan, he was in love with him too. For years he's been having to hide it and stop himself from making movements or hand gestures to make sure Dan didn't figure it out, but now, Dan was the only person he wanted to tell.  
Phil was not the only person who knew about his feelings for Dan. After a drunken night at PJ's, Phil confessed to him that he had a crush on Dan, but was too afraid to tell him. PJ almost told Dan that night, but Phil made him promise that he wouldn't utter a word, and to this day, he hasn't.

Phil was pacing up and down in his bedroom, confusing himself more with every step.  
He didn't know whether to tell Dan now, or let him figure it out for himself after he steps out of his little bubble with Rosie.  
What made Phil madder than ever was for months now he's been acting like this, distant and moody, but Dan hasn't even noticed.  
Just as Phil was wishing he could be alone he heard the front door slam.

_Good, they're gone._

Now that Dan was gone he was free to use the lounge (and his xbox) in peace, without having to witness a heart wrenching PDA.

He stormed out of his room, slamming his door behind him and mumbling, "Best friends? Yeah? I'm pretty sure best friends don't treat each other like they don't bloody matter when they get a new squeeze but no Dan just wants to-"  
His speech was interrupted by a sight of Dan standing in the kitchen, leaning on the counter with a curious look on his face.  
Dan raised an eyebrow and said, "Sorry, what was that Phil?"  
"Nothing." Phil said quietly, trying to dismiss the conversation.  
"Look, I'm sorry if your jealous but I really like spending time with Rosie." Dan said accusingly.  
Phil was about to burst out in anger but as he had learned to over the past few years, he thought about what he was going to say before he said it.  
"I'm not jealous. I get it, Dan." Phil said sadly and put on his headset and began playing Portal 2.

Dan threw his arms up in exasperation and went to his bedroom, he thought maybe the internet could make him calmer.  
_Why is he so freakin' jealous?_ Dan thought,_ I mean, we're only best friends, we live together but it's not like he ever-_ oh.  
Dan recalled a bunch of memories in his head and made the connections.  
_Holy shit my best friend has a crush on me._  
Dan sat in his room for a long time, thinking about the last few years, and all the times he's missed blatant signs that Phil had threw at him.  
As he remembered back to a time when he was they were filming an episode of Phil is not on fire, his phone buzzed loudly on his table and he read that it was from Rosie.  
Good, he thought, and excuse to leave.  
Dan packed his overnight bag left, without even saying goodbye to Phil but leaving a note on his bed saying, _"at Rosie's, back in a few days."_

**Reviews would be much appreciated :D**_  
_

**Thank you for everyone who's taken the time to read these!**

***cyberhugs***


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Unfortunately, things started changing between Dan and Phil. The tension between them was getting thicker, and there were more and more awkward moments. Their video ideas were getting worse or even non-existent. Every week and when it came around to filming the Super Amazing Project, it was horrific.  
On one particular Autumn day, PJ and Chris were coming over to help with some filming for SAP and they were planning to just hang out afterwards.  
When PJ and Chris arrived, Dan was awake and comfortable in his browsing position on the lounge.  
"Hey Dan." PJ said.  
"Where's Phil?" Chris said.  
"Um, I'm not sure." Dan said. "I think he's still in bed. I haven't heard him come out of his room."  
"You mean, you didn't go in there to tell him we were coming?" PJ said.  
"Nah." Dan said indifferently, and he went back to typing on his computer.  
This confused PJ and Chris severly, and they exchanged a look, sharing a plan in there head without having to say it out loud.

PJ turned on his heel and made his way to Phil's room, considering what he knew about Phil's feelings for Dan, he was thinking that the worst had happened.  
PJ strolled down the hallway and politely knocked on Phil's door. Phil hesitated but then said quietly "Come in."  
Phil was so relieved that it was PJ who waked through the door, not Dan.  
"Hey Phil." PJ said, sitting down on Phil's bed.  
"Hi PJ." Phil said, packing away his laptop and trying his hardest to look busy.  
"I'm just going to cut to the chase here." PJ said, "What's going on with you and Dan?"  
"Me and Dan? Uh...nothing. Nothing at all. Why?" Phil said, trying to hide his eyes from PJ's glare, rather unsuccessfully.  
"You guys seem a little distant from each other, is all." PJ said.  
"Well.." Phil said.  
"Well what?" PJ said, raising an eyebrow.  
"Dan did get a girlfriend but whatever, it's no big deal, y'know." Phil mumbled.  
"Oh...right." PJ said, standing up from his bed. "Well, I'll leave you to it then." He said as he walked swiftly out of Phil's room.  
_Dammit Phil! Why did you say that?!_ He thought to himself. He sulked out of his room and joined the rest of the group in the living room.

As Dan predicted, filming was awkward and after watching the playback, he realized that it radiated onto the screen too. He decided to make up an excuse of illness about why they weren't uploading SAP and again, as predicted, there was a shit load of replies and well wishes on twitter.  
Dan knew that he had to get this sorted out with Phil, but he didn't quite know how to approach him.

PJ and Chris ended up staying until well after midnight after the consumption of many, many pints of beer. After Dan and Phil ushered PJ and Chris out of the door, they stood in the hallway silently together, sharing a moment of tension. Phil started walking back to his bedroom when Dan put his hand on his arm.  
"Phil...we should talk." Dan said, stumbling a bit as Phil pulled away.  
"About what?" Phil said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.  
"I don't really know what so say...I know things are different... I- I don't know what to..do." Dan said, tripping over his words.  
Dan leant against the opposite wall and slid down to the floor, putting his head in his hands.  
Phil slumped down to the floor to face Dan and said,  
"I just want to know where my best friend went."  
"I'm still here!" Dan said defensively, "I want to spend time with you, but, but I... want to see her too."  
"When was the last time he hung out?!" Phil yelled, "When?!"  
"I'm sorry Phil, I am." Dan said sadly, trying to put a hand on Phil's arm but missing and reaching for the floor instead.  
Phil moved away from the gesture and stood up, losing his balance momentarily.  
"Phil, just...just listen I-" Dan said, trying to stand.  
Dan couldn't think of a good argument in his drunken state. He missed his best friend of course, but he didn't want to lose his girlfriend.  
Phil helped Dan up and they were left staring at each other, Dan with his hand on the wall, because he couldn't possibly stand on his own.  
"Dan..." Phil said softly. "Don't you know?" He added hopefully, looking into Dan's eyes.  
"Don't I know w-" Dan said, his words interrupted my Phil stumbling towards him and kissing him hard on the mouth.

Dan tried pushing Phil away but Phil only pushed back harder and ended up pinning Dan against the wall.  
Phil finally gave up and took a step back, banging against the wall.  
"What the hell Phil?!" Dan yelled.  
"There." Phil said angrily. "Maybe now you'll realize."  
Phil opened the door to his bedroom and Dan heard the door lock.  
Dan was shocked, he was frozen in the hallway for a short time, trying to digest the scene that had just taken place. He stepped back, slid down the wall again and started sobbing. He didn't know if it was the alcohol or Phil but he was feeling as tragic as ever, slumped on the floor of the dark apartment, willing himself not to vomit.

**Reviews are much appreciated! Big thank you to NeverlandNat for her review of the last chapter :) **

**And as always, thanks for reading :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all so far for the reviews and favourites! *big hugs* **

Chapter 4

Phil and Dan had not spoken in days. It wasn't that it was awkward or anything, but they just didn't speak to each other, for they had nothing to say.  
Phil was confined to his room most of the day, as was Dan. They hadn't made videos for weeks and when the Danosaurs or Phillions asked, they just said 'personal stuff.'  
The apartment was silent, even when Rosie was there. Then again, she never came around much these days, and when she did, Phil would go to the shops, or just around London, stopping at places where he and Dan had shared most of their treasured memories.

Phil had recieved nearly an e-mail a day from PJ, asking how he was, and reminding him to eat. After the second week of these continuous e-mails, Phil decided to send this to PJ.

_Hey PJ,_

_I need to ask you a favour. Can I come stay with you for a while?_

_Phil._

He anxiously awaited an answer from PJ, all the while wondering how Dan would react to this. Would Dan even care? Hell, would he even tell Dan? Phil considered leaving in the middle of the night, sneaking out without a word or a note. This thought played on his mind for a long time until he got an e-mail back from PJ.

_Hey Phil,_

_Of course. You can stay as long as you like. Come over tonight._  
_Also, please do something for me._  
_Tell Dan you're leaving._

_PJ._

The last line bounced around in his head long after he read it. Tell Dan you're leaving.  
PJ was one of Phil's best friends and he trusted him but this time he felt like leaving without a trace was the best thing to do. If Phil left, he wouldn't be able to hurt Dan anymore, and he would be able to be happy with Rosie without having a jealous best friend around all the time.

Phil started packing his bags when he heard talking in the other room. He thought it was just Dan talking to Rosie on the phone but then when he listened closer, he realized Dan was filming a video. He didn't stick around to find out what Dan was saying, he didn't care.  
He scrawled down a note on a piece of paper and stuck it under the Ultamecia, knowing that Dan would see it the next morning. Phil took one last look around the apartment, he had a feeling that he wouldn't be seeing it again for a long while. He walked down the hallway and shut the door quietly and put his spare key under the mat, in case he had to get in in an emergency. Phil got into the elevator and as the silver doors slid closed, he felt a salty, cold tear slide down his cheek.

"There, all done." Dan said aloud as he turned off the camera. He connected his camera to the computer and started importing all the files for his latest video.  
He opened the folder which contained all his footage and said "Shit, I should probably clean this up."  
He scrolled up to where he had footage from years before and found some clips from the first 'phil is not on fire'  
He clicked one at random and it opened and it was then when he saw it, full screen, they were just sitting in front of the camera, figuring out what to say for a goodbye and Dan said  
"This is the most fun I've ever had." and Phil quickly turned around and hugged/tackled Dan to the floor.  
In the reflection of the screen, Dan could see that he had the goofiest smile of his face and he started to remember all the good times he'd had with Phil. This made Dan think of another idea for a video, and he intended to film it and upload it today.

When he had finally finished filming and editing, it was nearly 3 am, but eh didn't care, he wanted it to be done. He was about to upload the file to YouTube when he started having second thoughts.  
_What if Phil hates it? What if Phil hates me? What if Phil thinks I like him? Wait, what if I do like Phil?_  
He stare at the screen for a long while before pressing upload. In that time he typed in the name of the video, which was...  
"Things I love about my best friend."

Dan was excited about everyone seeing this video, especially Phil, he was hoping that it would be an easy way to patch things up with him. He wanted to tell Phil about it before it went live, so he wouldn't be bombarded with comments and messages on twitter. Dan got up from his chair and called out Phil's name. He checked Phil's bedroom and the spare room, and when he walked into the living room he saw a white piece of paper flapping in the draft coming through the window. He walked over and picked it up, curious to see what was on it and when he read it, he wished he hadn't.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Phil knocked softly on PJ's door and PJ opened it almost instantly.  
"Hey Phil." PJ said, putting his arm around Phil and leading him inside.  
"Hey PJ." Phil said, shaking off his arm as he took his coat off.  
PJ stopped Phil in the hallway and put a reassuring arm on his shoulder and said,  
"Look, stay for as long as you like. If you need anything at all, I'll cover for you and you know I'll always be here Phil, day or night."  
Phil smiled sadly and continued down the hallway. Phil liked having PJ as a friend, he was always someone he could turn to, or count on, ever since he first divulged his true feelings about Dan to PJ.

After having a cup of coffee and getting settled, Phil set his things down in PJ's spare room and immediately opened his laptop. He checked his e-mails and he opened the latest one from YouTube. Under the heading, "Daily Update", it had all the latest uploads from his subscriptions in the last few hours. He was scrolling absent mindedly when a familiar username caught his eye, _Danisnotonfire_. He opened the video and his eyes widened when he read the title, "Things I love about my best friend."  
The video started and Phil's heart skipped a beat as Dan started talking, he wasn't used to hearing his voice so composed and cool.

"Hello internet." Dan said. "This video came to my head completely out of the blue, I actually had another video planned but...I'm saving that for later."  
Phil got closer to the screen in anticipation for the next words that were going to come out of Dan's mouth.  
"Now before all you Phan shippers start screaming I want you all to know that Phil is my best friend and nothing else. This is just a short video for him, because I want him to know..he's appreciated."  
Phil was in complete shock. _Why could Dan tell the internet, but not his best friend?_  
"Phil, thank you for being my friend when awkward 15-year-old Dan didn't have any others."  
Up flashed a clip from the first video they made together, laughing with each other.  
"Thank you for not beating my high scores."  
Up flashed a clip of then playing Donkey Kong together.  
"Thank you for moving in with me and being a perfect roommate."  
Up flashed a clip of them cooking in their kitchen in their Manchester flat, then one of Phil jumping out of a wardrobe and scaring Dan.  
"Thank you for keeping the cupboards well stocked."  
Up flashed a clip of Dan saying "We're not a family of 10 Phil!", while holding up a 1 kg box of shreddies.  
"Thank you for coming to Starbucks and the cinema with me nearly every day."  
Up flashed clips from their "Day in the life" video when they still lived in Manchester.  
This went on much the same for about 3 minutes until it came to the end, with Dan, alone in his bedroom. His last line was simply, "And lastly, this."  
Dan held his phone up to the camera and it showed a message that was outgoing to Rosie.  
"We're done. You know why." Is all it said.

Phil was so shocked when he read the message that he physically moved away from the camera and it was then when he realized that he was sobbing quite violently.  
PJ came in at that moment and looked at the screen. He had already seen the video and knew exactly what was happening.  
"Oh Phil." PJ said sympathetically  
PJ tried to soothe Phil but Phil was hunched in a ball, sobbing, with his thoughts running at a million miles an hour.  
"Well this is good, right, isn't it?" PJ said, clutching at straws trying to get something, anything, out of Phil's mouth.  
"NO!" Phil yelled. "No it is not good PJ!" He added, standing up face to face with PJ.  
"What does this mean now? Hmm? Does he want to be with me? Does he want me to come home? What about Rosie?" Phil said, throwing questions at PJ, who was standing there helplessly, trying to think of something to calm Phil down.  
Phil has never usually been one to fight, and he never really majorly fought with Dan but this time his emotions were controlling him, he couldn't see past the anger that was blinding him.  
PJ tried to stop his as he walked out of the front door and slammed it shut, but Phil was finding strength somewhere inside him that he never knew he had.  
PJ finally gave up trying to get Phil back inside and as Phil walked down the stairs from PJ's flat, PJ yelled, "Can you at least tell me where you're going?!"  
"No!" Phil yelled angrily just before he vanished out of sight.  
Phil couldn't tell him where he was going, because honestly, he didn't even know himself.

**Sorry that this was such a short chapter but I promise it will all be worth it one you get to chapter 6! **

**Also thank you to everyone for all the great reviews, love to you all! xxx**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

PJ went back inside quickly and picked up the phone. He nervously dialled Dan's number and was silent before he said anything.  
"Is he with you?" Dan said sadly. Dan knew Phil so well that he knew that he would go running to PJ, so it was logical for this to be his first question.  
"Not exactly." PJ said.  
"What do you mean?!" Dan said, raising his voice as he started panicking. He knew that Phil would regret it if he walked out and kept walking and he was worried about what might happen.  
"Well he..he just walked out." PJ said.  
"PJ! WHY DIDN'T YOU FOLLOW HIM!?" Dan said.  
"I'm sorry I didn't reali-"  
"Didn't realize?!" Dan said, interrupting PJ. Dan started to panic. He knew that Phil would be unstable. Knowing what Dan did about Phil's past, he knew that he couldn't just let Phil run off like that.  
Dan took a deep breath and said to PJ,  
"I'm sorry."  
"It's okay." PJ said, "I know you're just worried about Phil."  
"Which way did he go?" Dan said, picking up his house keys.  
"Um, I don't know, towards the river. I think." PJ said quietly.  
"Okay. Thanks PJ." Dan said, walking out the front door.  
"You're welcome Dan." PJ said. "I'll get Chris to come around and we'll go look for him too."  
"Okay," Dan said. "See ya." He added, hanging up the phone and stepping into the elevator.  
_God, I hope he's not doing anything stupid_. Dan thought to himself, pulling his coat tighter around his cold body.  
_Please Phil, come home._

Phil was walking slowly along the banks of the river, pushing his hands further into his pockets with every step. He was humming a tune and singing a little bit, but the roar of the water on the Thames was loud, only some of the lyrics were audible.  
_"What was the last thing that you told me...they say you can't help but love the dead...I can make you love me."_  
None of Phil's friends except Dan ever knew, but Phil didn't always want to be alive. His past was full of pain and heartbreak. Luckily YouTube and Dan came along and pulled him out of that dark, horrific place but now Phil was worried that it was sending him back there again. Phil was alone now with his thoughts and he felt a sudden pang of guilt for leaving PJ like he did. PJ was nice enough to let him into him home and Phil just threw it back in his face because of his...emotions.  
He was always able to control his emotions around Dan but now it was different, he let himself go and he didn't know how to get his thoughts and feelings back in check.  
It was starting to get very dark now and Phil had lost track of time and how far he had walked. He sat down on a bench by the river, he could still see the city, but he looked like he was seeing it as an outsider, like he was on another plane. He compared it to looking at a tiny town in a snowglobe, and seeing everything distorted and wrong because of the glass.  
As he got more and more comfortable on the bench, he thought, I'll get up in 5 minutes.  
But that 5 minutes dragged out for longer then Phil had expected...

"PHIL! Phil!" Dan called out as he walked along the river bank. Dan had been walking for over an hour, and it was getting fairly dark and cold. He tried calling Phil on his mobile again but for the 17th time, there was still no answer. He was starting to get frustrated with Phil, _how dare he just walk away like that? I need him._ Dan thought, as more tears started coming down his face.  
He felt his phone buzz but it was just PJ again, giving an update, no sightings, just like the lat 10 updates.  
Dan thought his mind was playing tricks on him when he saw a boy with a mop of black hair perched on the bench on the other side of the river. Yes it was over 100 meters away, but Phil was his best friend and he could spot him anywhere.  
"PHIL! PHIL!" He called out, flailing his arms like a madman. He immediately messaged PJ and Chris, telling them he found Phil.  
Dan could see no possible way of getting across to the other side, apart from walking to the nearest bridge, which was a few kilometers away and who knew what could have happened then?  
He walked up and down the river for a few minutes when he spotted something at a nearby dock.  
He ran to the edge of the dock and saw the small boat tied up at the edge, moving about wildly in the wind.  
_Stealing's illegal_. Dan thought.  
"Fuck it." He said aloud.

He dropped down into the boat and untied it. He started rowing with all of his might, it proved nearly impossible but every time his eyes would flick over to Phil on that bench he pushed harder, trying to get over there faster. As he got closer to the bank on the other side, he knew that it was Phil, and he could see him slumped over with his arms wrapped around himself. It took Dan a while for his eyes to adjust and when they did, he could see that Phil was wearing nothing but a t-shirt and jeans.  
_Shit, he's going to get hypothermia, or something._ Dan thought.  
He immediately had a thought that wasn't exactly the smartest but it would mean he would get to Phil faster. He took off his big coat and put it in the boat. He took a deep breath and braced himself for the icy water.  
_I'm a good swimmer_. He thought. _I can make it over there faster that trying to paddle a freaking boa_t.  
He decided to not waste any time and he jumped straight into the water. He realized the fault in his plan as he looked from the water, to how far away the back was. His limbs started shivering like crazy and all he could feel around him was icy-cold, murky, muddy water. He felt like he was completely frozen for a moment, but then he composed himself, pulled the boat with one hand and swam with the other.

He reached the bank in less time than he thought, but walking seemed to be difficult, as the muscles in his legs started to seize up.  
He finally reached Phil and the first thing he did was cover him with the jacket. He didn't dare hug him, as that would have made the situation worse. Instead he dried his hands as best he could and woke Phil gently by putting a hand on his face. He didn't know whether it was the water of Phil's skin but the touch was like ice.  
Phil woke with a start and had to take a moment to remember his surroundings.  
He couldn't believe that it was Dan who was standing in front of him.  
"D-d-dan-n?" Phil said, his words we're barely audible because his teeth were chattering so much.  
"I'm here Phil." Dan said, pulling his coat tighter around Phil.  
"A-a-are yo-o-u-u g-g-going to lee-eave-e-e?" Phil said.  
"No, no I'm here to look after you now." Dan said lovingly, looking into Phil's eyes.  
Dan called a cab, he figured it was the safest way to get home.  
As they hobbled together to the nearest street, they stood together on the side of the road, trying to conjure up as much heat as they could.  
"H-how did-d you-u-u fi-i-ind me-e?" Phil said, leaning into Dan and putting his arms around his shoulders.  
"I knew w-where you'd be-e." Dan said, starting to feel extremely cold.  
"Please-e, d-don't ever do-o that a-again." He added, burying his head into Phil's chest.

As they got into the warm cab, they stayed intertwined with each other.  
"What does this mean now?" Phil whispered into Dan's ear.  
Dan closed his eyes and let everything go black. _We'll talk about it later._  
He said to himself.

What Dan didn't realize, was that he wasn't conscious.

**Reviews of this chapter will be much appreciated! I want to know what you all thought :)**

**Chapter 7 will be up tomorrow night so you won't have to wait too long to know the outcome of Dan's icy rescue!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Dan woke up in his bed, comfortable and warm. He opened his eyes and smiled, feeling the sun on his face which was coming through the window. He didn't want to get up just yet so he didn't bother taking off the covers. He stretched his arms out and reached over to the other side of the bed and when he only felt the covers he looked over and...  
"PHIL!"  
Dan yelled, as he woke with a start. He was sat bolt upright in his bed, breathing heavily. It was pitch black and when Dan looked over at the clock, it said 4 am. He was only just trying to put together the pieces of the last few hours and a his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw Phil sitting on a chair at the end of his bed. When Dan was finally calm again, he got up and walked over to Phil, sitting quietly on the end of his bed.

Dan reached out his hand and grabbed Phil's. Phil didn't wake up, so Dan stared at him in the dark. He started to seriously think about his feeling's for Phil. Now was the time that he honestly admitted to himself that he did love Phil.  
As Dan's mind wandered into the past, he remembered their first Christmas together in their London flat.  
_It was extremely cold but Phil woke Dan up at 7 am nevertheless, he was always so excited for Christmas. _  
_"Dan! Dan! Dan!" Phil said as he jumped on Dan's bed, "Dan! It's Christmas!" _  
_"Ugghhh Philllll." Dan said and he rolled over to look at him. "You're like a small child!"_  
_"But Dan it's Christmas!" Phil said in a sing-song voice._  
_"Okay, okay." Dan said, "I'll get up"_  
_Phil grinned and jumped up, impatiently waiting for Dan to get out of bed. He was literally jumping up and down on the spot. _  
_Phil had made breakfast already and there were pancakes in Christmas shapes and he had made coffee for the both of them. _  
_When Dan walked into the lounge, Phil was standing next to the table proudly, gesturing to the breakfast._  
_"Happy Christmas Dan." He said, smiling sweetly._  
_"Oh Phil! Thank you! Merry Christmas!" Dan said, grinning at his best friend._  
_They sat down at the table and just as Dan was about to tuck into his food Phil said,_  
_"Wait. You can't eat yet."_  
_"What are you going to make me say grace or something?" Dan said sarcastically, laughing._  
_"No.." Phil said, laughing. "I wanted to give you this first." _  
_He handed Phil a small rectangular present. "Since we've just moved in, I thought this would be a nice decoration." _  
_Dan opened the present and it revealed a small wooden frame, with a beautiful photo of Dan and Phil inside, grinning at the camera._  
_A huge smile broke out on Dan's face and he looked up at Phil and said,_  
_"It's great, thank you." _  
_Phil smiled and said, "I'm so glad you like it."_  
_Dan pointed to the wall in the lounge and said, "We'll put it right there." He closed one eye and made a rectangle with his hand. _  
_Phil laughed and said, "Dan?"_  
_"Yeah Phil?" Dan replied._  
_"I love you man." Phil said, looking down after he said it._  
_"I love you too." Dan said._

He never thought about having a crush on Phil, they we're always just best friends. Every time he would see a comment about "Phan" of even read fanfiction he would just laugh it off because, of course, shipping was inevitable on the internet, but in this moment, Dan thought that maybe "Phan" could work. That maybe all the shippers we're right. He smiled at Phil and squeezed his hand which woke him up.  
"Dan..Are you o-" He said sleepily.  
"Shh." Dan said, pulling on Phil's hand. Dan stood up and so did Phil. Phil was confused when Dan started leading him towards the bed.  
Dan layed down on the bed and pulled phil down next to him, not letting go of his hand the whole time.  
Dan rolled over to face his back to Phil, and Phil put his arms around Dan, hugging him tightly.

Dan was just about to fall asleep again when he heard Phil whisper.  
"What happened at the river?"  
Dan rolled over to look at Phil, and said "You fell asleep, I think. I had to use a boat, and swim, across the river to get to you."  
"You swum?" Phil said.  
"Yeah." Dan replied.  
"You're an idiot, Dan Howell." Phil said, smiling.  
His smile dissipated when he saw the serious look on Dan's face.  
"You we're freezing." Dan said, "I had to help and in that moment it was the only way I knew how."  
"By risking your life?" Phil said.  
"Better me than you." Dan said sadly.  
It was silent for a moment between the two of them then Phil whispered through the dark.  
"Don't you ever say that again. Never."  
He put his hand on Dan's face and Dan put his hand over Phil's.  
"I'm sorry for running away." Phil said, sounding like an innocent child.  
"I'm sorry for being an idiot." Dan said.  
They looked into each others eyes and it was as if there was a silent agreement between them.  
Phil moved his hand to behind Dan's head, and Dan ran his hand down Phil's arm and onto his waist, giving him goosebumps.  
They both moved in at the same time and kissed deeply, Dan smiled through the kiss, which made Phil smile like crazy.  
When they finally moved apart, Phil kissed Dan on the forehead and Dan said quietly,  
"I love you, Phillip Lester."  
"I love you too, Daniel Howell."

**THE END**

**Finished! Make sure to review below of what you thought of the story and the ending :)**  
**Thanks for reading xxx**


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